Two Years

I woke up this morning at about the same time the phone call came two years ago. "She's gone." How could it possibly be two years since we said good-bye and heaven said hello?

So much life has been lived here in the last two years. Life I wish she had shared with me, with us. Moments and months when I absolutely needed her to have my back, cheer me on, walk beside me. Joyful times when I felt like a piece of me was missing because she wasn't there to dance beside me. Words and events that triggered a memory that only she and I could truly appreciate together. Songs that made me think of life lived together, in good times and bad.

For the past week, I haven't been thinking about this day, the anniversary of her passing. I've been thinking about May 15, 2011, two years ago yesterday, which for me was an amazingly difficult yet beautiful day. The day I said good-bye. And I am going to write about that day, I must write about that day. For me, for M, for God's glory because without His undeniable presence that day, none of us could have taken one more step, doing what we needed to do to love one another well.

When I woke up this morning, realizing the date and the time, I immediately started thanking God for her life, for her friendship, for how she let her light shine until her very last breath. If I focus on being thankful, joy starts to crowd out the pain in my heart.

She was and continues to be an inspiration to me. When the news came that the cancer was back, she picked "This Little Light of Mine" by Addison Road as her theme song. I was so proud of how she lived each moment of those last months letting her light shine to everyone around her. She truly believed:

One day there will be no more pain
And we will finally see Jesus' face
So until then, I'm gonna try
To brave the dark and let my little light shine.

My dear friend, you did brave the dark and you did shine your light. The reflections are still burning bright. I thank God for you.